{"id":17395,"date":"2022-11-02T14:40:09","date_gmt":"2022-11-02T14:40:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/?p=17395"},"modified":"2022-11-23T17:28:34","modified_gmt":"2022-11-23T17:28:34","slug":"students-become-best-buddies-while-promoting-inclusivity-for-people-with-intellectual-and-developmental-disabilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/?p=17395","title":{"rendered":"Students become “Best Buddies” while promoting inclusivity for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities"},"content":{"rendered":"
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]T<\/span>wo students found that creating inclusivity for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities starts with friendship through <\/span>Best Buddies<\/span>. <\/span>Lauren Abela<\/span> and <\/span>Jessica Rotolo<\/span> are the founders of the <\/span>Best Buddies <\/span>club at <\/span>Humber College<\/span> and the <\/span>University of Guelph-Humber<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Best Buddies <\/span>is a nationally recognized charity that aims to support one-on-one friendships with individuals with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities. It was first founded in <\/span>1989 at <\/span>Georgetown University <\/span>in <\/span>Washington, D.C<\/span>., by <\/span>Anthony Kennedy Shriver.<\/span> Best Buddies<\/span> later was established in <\/span>Canada <\/span>in <\/span>1993<\/span> and became a registered charity in <\/span>1995<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since its establishment, it has grown nationwide with over 250 chapters at high schools and universities\/colleges. Through annual fundraising events over the years, they have raised over $25 million. In June 2022, <\/span>Abela<\/span> and <\/span>Rotolo <\/span>helped <\/span>Best Buddies Canada<\/span> raise over $580,000 while volunteering at the <\/span>\u201cThrill of Ascot\u201d <\/span>fundraising event.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Lauren

Lauren Abela (left) and Jessica Rotolo (right) at a Best Buddies event. (Lauren Abela\/Best Buddies)<\/p><\/div>\n

Abela <\/span>is a fourth-year student in the Psychology program at <\/span>Guelph-Humber<\/span>. She first became involved in <\/span>Best Buddies<\/span> in 11th grade.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was unfortunate that most students with disabilities at my school were separated from the classroom,\u201d said <\/span>Abela.<\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Through word-of-mouth, she heard about a meeting at her school and decided to check it out<\/span>. Abela<\/span> has been with them ever since and stays connected with many friends she met in the high school program. Once <\/span>Abela <\/span>got to post-secondary she noticed there was no <\/span>Best Buddies <\/span>chapter, so she reached out to <\/span>Best Buddies Canada<\/span>. Coincidentally, <\/span>Abela <\/span>wasn\u2019t the only one wanting to start the club.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rotolo <\/span>is a graduate of<\/span> Humber\u2019s Community Integration <\/span>through<\/span> Co-operative Education (CICE)<\/span> program as well as an actor, model, artist and self-advocate for the Down syndrome community. The<\/span> CICE <\/span>program is a certificate program at <\/span>Humber <\/span>that provides adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities an opportunity to experience college life and learn important skills. Similar to <\/span>Abela<\/span>,<\/span> Rotolo<\/span> has been involved in <\/span>Best Buddies<\/span> since high school. In the fall of 2019, <\/span>Rotolo <\/span>also reached out to <\/span>Best Buddies Canada<\/span> about starting a chapter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After receiving both emails from <\/span>Abela<\/span> and <\/span>Rotolo<\/span>, <\/span>Vicki MacCrimmon<\/span> and<\/span> Deanna Alakoozai <\/span>from <\/span>Best Buddies Canada<\/span>‘s head office connected the girls.<\/span> They met each other for the first time in front of the <\/span>Starbucks <\/span>on campus and found they had so many similarities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Both <\/span>enjoy having dinner, watching movies and promoting <\/span>Best Buddies Canada <\/span>as nationwide ambassadors of the nonprofit.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just an instant connection and we started something beautiful together,\u201d said <\/span>Abela.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since their first meetup in September 2019, the two have worked hard to grow the <\/span>Best Buddies<\/span> chapter. <\/span>Unfortunately, they were not able to host any in-person events on campus in March 2020 due to the pandemic.<\/span> Abela<\/span> and <\/span>Rotolo <\/span>persevered by reverting to online<\/span> Zoom<\/span> calls and <\/span>Instagram<\/span> live streams. Throughout the lockdown, they hosted live streams with everything from makeup tutorials to cooking videos.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With school back in session, they were happy to have hosted their first-ever in-person kickoff event on Sept. 28 where over 100 students participated in games, live music, a raffle and free snacks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Lauren

Lauren Abela (left) and Jessica Rotolo (right) giving a speech at the kickoff event. (Alexandra Ellison\/GH360)<\/p><\/div>\n

Most recently, they received $7,000 from the <\/span>University of Guelph<\/span>\u2019s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Enhancement fund where they hosted an event this semester to promote inclusivity through a campaign <\/span>Jessica <\/span>participated in back in March. The event was called \u201c<\/span>Love Means<\/span>\u2026\u201d a series of portraits displaying the many forms of love that adults with Down syndrome experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The

The University of Guelph-Humber lobby showcasing the “Love Means…” event. (George Nikitaras\/University of Guelph-Humber)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Abela<\/span> says that <\/span>Rotolo<\/span> has been instrumental in providing support for the chapter. Many colleges and universities’ <\/span>Best Buddies<\/span> programs partner with an outside organization to find individuals to pair with students. The <\/span>Humber<\/span> and <\/span>Guelph-Humber<\/span> chapter is sanctioned through <\/span>Ignite<\/span>, the student union governing<\/span> Humber<\/span> and <\/span>Guelph-Humber students<\/span>, which means all students must attend the school.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Lauren

Lauren Abela (left) and Jessica Rotolo (right) speaking at the “Love Means…” event. (George Nikitaras\/University of Guelph-Humber)<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Luckily,<\/span> Rotolo <\/span>was able to recruit many members with intellectual and developmental disabilities through the <\/span>CICE<\/span> program. <\/span>Rotolo<\/span> is grateful for her time in the program.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI learned how to be an advocate and a leader in my community but also learned life and computer skills. I also made a lot of new friends there\u201d said <\/span>Rotolo<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is still room to grow to create inclusivity and support for these individuals.<\/span> Abela<\/span> is on the Board of Directors for the<\/span> Ignite,<\/span> the student union, and wants to be a voice for people with disabilities. She believes the school should start internally.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like there should be more organized social activities. Such as a permanent Resource Center for students with disabilities for them to engage socially and learn soft skills outside of the classroom\u201d said <\/span>Abela<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On a greater scale, <\/span>there needs to be more support for these individuals outside of the school community<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rotolo<\/span>, for example, says she has dreams of moving out of her parent’s home. Her parents would love for her to have the opportunity to experience independence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe would love for <\/span>Jessica <\/span>to eventually move out, unfortunately, the housing situation is absolutely horrible. There\u2019s nowhere for Jessica to go and the government has to put that into place\u201d said <\/span>Rotolo<\/span>\u2019s mother, <\/span>Dorlean Lieghfars-Rotolo<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rotolo <\/span>receives funding through the <\/span>Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP)<\/span>, unfortunately, <\/span>Rotolo’s<\/span> mother says it\u2019s not enough. For many, it forces them to live in poverty. This program doesn\u2019t allow individuals to improve their situation. <\/span>If they can work, <\/span>ODSP<\/span> will deduct income support after earning more than $200 per month.<\/span> Rotolo<\/span> is starting a new job as an assistant at a preschool; unfortunately, much of her earnings will be deducted from the government.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Devanshu Narang<\/span> is a local candidate in the municipal election in the<\/span> North Etobicoke <\/span>area who wants to educate employers about how they can include employees with developmental and intellectual disabilities in the workplace. <\/span>Narang <\/span>was a mechanical engineer for many years and was awarded \u201cTop 75 Immigrant of the Year\u201d by <\/span>Canadian Immigrant Magazine<\/span>. He says during his time in Mumbai, <\/span>India <\/span>there were many places where they hired and trained people with disabilities for various work.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese people were so joyful and so confident in being an important part of this society,\u201d said <\/span>Narang.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Although there is a lot of work to be done, <\/span>Abela<\/span> and <\/span>Rotolo<\/span> are grateful for their friendship through <\/span>Best Buddies.<\/span> It\u2019s one <\/span>Rotolo\u2019s<\/span> mother expects will last a lifetime.<\/span>
\n

\u201cI know that <\/span>Lauren<\/span> and <\/span>Jessica<\/span> will be dancing at each other\u2019s weddings, that’s for sure.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Lauren

Lauren Abela (left) and Jessica Rotolo (right) holding a poster for the “Love Means…” event. (Lauren Abela\/Best Buddies)<\/p><\/div>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Two students found that creating inclusivity for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities starts with friendship through Best Buddies. Lauren Abela and Jessica Rotolo are the founders of the Best Buddies club at Humber College and the University of Guelph-Humber.\u00a0 Best Buddies is a nationally recognized charity that aims to support one-on-one friendships with individuals […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":134,"featured_media":17500,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[174,592,47,62],"tags":[732,733,737,735,736,739,66,738,59,227,734,164,175],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17395"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/134"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17395"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17395\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17717,"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17395\/revisions\/17717"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gh360.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}